


Strawberries

by YuuiC



Series: Minake week 2019 (English) [1]
Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety Disorder, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Depression, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minake Week, POV First Person, Spring Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:11:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuuiC/pseuds/YuuiC
Summary: Spring wasn't made only by flowers; there were other things that made part of it. Sometimes, tasty things called more attention than bouquets and cherry flowers.[Minake week - Day 1 - Spring/Food]





	Strawberries

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Morangos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19048639) by [YuuiC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuuiC/pseuds/YuuiC). 



> GUYS, GUYS [Hyakunana](https://twitter.com/HyakunanaArts), [Eigaon](https://twitter.com/eigaon) and [NemiruTami](https://twitter.com/NemiruTami) translated my first fic for minake week and I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WORDS TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS ;w; I'm so, so, SO happy and I LOVED how it turned out <3 Hope you guys love it too!

The sky at the beginning of February was strangely bluer. Maybe because of the warmer weather - or maybe the winter sky was so gray that color felt more impactful.

Whatever it was, it was inevitable not to lose myself looking at it. Even if that also meant losing the traffic light's timing or blocking someone's way; bumps were so common that I didn't mind anymore. The vibration of my phone, however, was more important than that peculiar sight – always peculiar, even if I have seen it every year during this season.

 **Akechi Goro** : _Do you still intend to come here today?_

I raised one of my eyebrows, wondering. It was a useless question. And if I knew him well - assuming I knew him, after all, it was coming on two years since our first date - Akechi didn't like useless questions. Even less did he _ask_ useless questions.

 **Arisato Minato** : _Yes. That was our deal. I'm just a bit late... Did something happen?_

 **Akechi Goro** : _No._

 **Arisato Minato** : _You can lie to anyone, but me. I wasn't born yesterday and you know it. What happened?_

Seen but not replied. I sighed, noticing the traffic light change again. I crossed the street with a little hurry, phone slipping from my ear with the quick pace.

Some things maybe wouldn't change so soon for him. Everything demanded time - I more than anyone knew that. Still, that didn’t make me feel less anxious or insecure.

The vibration this time startled me; I fumbled to get the phone from my pocket and read the message:

 **Akechi Goro** : _I'm not feeling well. That's why I asked, if that's what you were wondering._

_Ah. Makes sense._

I spent a moment staring at the touch-screen, tapping my finger at its corner while thinking on how to answer. People walked in a hurry around me - despite the smaller town, some things seem to never change. I leaned at the corner of the sidewalk, opening a way for the rushed pedestrians. The comings and goings were annoying just as much as they were comforting.

I looked behind and noticed I was in front of a convenience store. I blinked, the gears moving faster in my head in that moment.

 **Arisato Minato** : _I'll pass by the convenience store and then I'll be there. Wait for me!_

I stuffed my phone in my pocket and went inside. If there was one thing that spring had, it was tasty things - and certainly something tasty would be useful in this situation.

It was an attempt. I wouldn't be losing anything anyway.

 

* * *

 

When I arrived at his apartment, I spent a long second questioning if I should ring the bell. Again, if I knew him well, it was possible he wouldn't stand up to open for me. Not because he didn't want to see me. He just couldn't - Goro was a person that when he was bad, he was _bad_. Not even the end of the world would make him move.

Well, I needed the end of the world to make me move. Maybe it wasn't a good comparison.

Anyway, I opted for taking the backup key - he hid it in a strategic hole made in the door. He told me once that the hole was already there and he just made use of it. Whatever it was, I knew of it for situations like this. Either this or he would die, probably. I wish that were more rhetorical.

I unlocked the door and it wasn't surprising to notice that the whole apartment was dark - the street light made an annoying penumbra inside the small entrance corridor. I sighed, closing the door and turning the light on so I wouldn't stumble on something.

My reception was a small and cranky grunt.

"I'm here," I announced. I didn't need greater formalities than that anyway.

I took off my shoes and walked towards the kitchen - it borders what was his living-bedroom. Besides that tiny room, there was a bathroom. It was enough for a single person.

Especially someone like Goro, I suppose.

I left the bags by the sink and looked over the futon tossed in the middle of the living room, the clothes spread around, the small dresser all turned inside out.

The perfect mess. Another sigh.

"Hey," I called to him. Goro didn't take his head out of the blankets, but at least he moved. "Thank you for proving you're alive. Though your grunt was also a proof of it."

His answer was another sound I couldn't identify - his voice sounded hoarse and I suspected the reason for it. Calmly, I walked to the futon's side and leaned down. I could see his breathing through the blanket's movement - it was steady, at least for now.

"Goro," I called him again, and I caught a glimpse of his caramel locks when the blanket slid down a bit. I brought my fingers to its edge, sliding it down slowly until I could see his face. "Goro." Again, in the most affable voice I could, the tone low. He stirred again and opened the eyes, seeming bothered by the brightness - it was possible to see the eyebags and the swollen eyelids. The crimson of his irises were angrier, almost bloody red. If the rest wasn't enough, then that was the biggest proof that he had been crying.

And it wasn't just a bit.

I took my fingers to his hair, brushing through the strands, noting the texture carefully - they were greasy, which proved he sweated a lot during the night; probably the whole day as well. But if he was with that blanket, it meant he was cold. And I suspected that this cold wasn't because of an imminent fever.

I noticed how Goro, slowly, leaned into my fingers, receiving more of my touch. I gave a small smile, appreciating the gesture. Every time he opened up to me, as small as that opening was, it was a huge victory.

Also, I considered it a personal triumph.

"Do you want to talk about what happened this time?" I asked directly, but not invasive. The crimson irises were lethargic, pondering my question, crawling to answer me.

"I..." He took a deep breath. I felt as if he was stealing my air with it; or maybe the room itself hadn't enough anymore, since it was entirely shut. "Hm... uh."

"Ok, let's try something different. I brought strawberry jam and sakura-yu. What do you think about taking a shower while I air out all of this, and then we eat?"

I felt it when his eyes met mine - the contrast of blue and crimson was _intense_ , _deliberate_. Many things were said in that instant - a heart that expresses itself to another without words.

"... Alright," is what his lips told me. My smile grew on my face.

 _Personal victories_.

I gave room for him to stand up and walk to the bathroom. Goro simply threw himself in, closing the door, not caring about towels or a change of clothes. I shrugged - I would leave them on the door handle for him, at least. 

I promptly opened the windows, hung the blankets, slapped and folded the futon. Then, I collected the tossed pieces, separated the dirty from the clean ones, and took the opportunity to leave the new clothes on his bathroom door. I could hear the sound of running water, and once in a while a loud sigh. Maybe it was to emphasize his tiredness, or maybe a way to make me aware that he was there and "fine” - even though this definition was very far from him.

I finished straightening the clean clothes in the right drawers, the rest I put in a small laundry basket. I was walking towards the kitchen when I heard the door open. I turned instantly, meeting a startled pair of crimson eyes, his nude chest practically showing itself to me. "A-ah..." I watched how the pink rose from his neck and quickly took all of his face, including his forehead. Goro seemed like he was about to combust. "Mi-Minato-senpai! Don't look, please!" He asked, a bit desperate, shrinking behind the door.

"Okay." I held the laughter, but it was undeniable, because my expression showed it all; with him, it seemed much easier to be this way. "But you know it's no use, right? After all, we already had se-"

"Okay. You don't have to remind me _right now_. Leave it for a better time." Goro slammed the bathroom door and I burst into laughter. Some things couldn't ever change, I guess.

I returned to the kitchen, looking in the cabinets for bread or toast or whatever we could eat the jam with. I searched practically everywhere, wondering.

I found what seemed to be an old and open packet of bread; I pouted, frowning.

"You live on what, cup noodles!?" I blinked, knowing exactly that Goro had left the bathroom by the noise. When I turned to him, he was raising his eyebrow, seemingly offended. " _Seriously!?_ "

"You expected what? That the illustrious successor of the Detective Prince knew how to cook?" 

"You had a _food blog!_ "

"I ate in _restaurants_ at that time." He brushed his temples and I rolled my eyes. "Now I don't have enough time, even less the patience or will to cook." 

"A little bit of attention to your health would make me about ten favors, y'know?" We stared at each other and I noticed how, slowly, Akechi's posture was losing energy: the shoulders fell, the chest withered, his eyes became opaque. "Goro..." 

"Didn't senpai bring jam and sakura-yu? So, today I'll eat something different. On other days... I manage the way I can." He sighed and I bit the edge of my lip, unsure. "If it comforts you, cup noodles are usually just dinner. I do try to make a healthy lunch." 

"Obento from convenience stores?"

" _Restaurants!_ "

I restrained a laugh and he rolled his eyes, incredulous. I turned my attention to the bread pieces. Even though they're old, they're still edible. Not that there were many options, but these probably weren't _appetizing_.

In his situation though, wouldn’t anything be appetizing?

I could hear the instant he leaned onto one of the seats to stay by the counter. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed the way Goro rested his face on his hand, his eyes closing. "Still sleepy? Weren't you sleeping until now?" I asked; he startled at the sound of my voice. 

"Actually..." He sighed, _heavy_. I watched how his eyes didn't focus on anything and yet, at the same time, stayed on whatever point over the cabinet in front of him. "I didn't sleep tonight. Maybe an hour or two. I don't know for certain, it was quick naps and..." Goro yawned, closing his eyes again. "I only managed to relax _just now_."

"It was my presence, wasn't it? C'mon, admit it!" I commented, jokingly. The way his posture softened made my heart sink. "Oh, Goro..."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't depend so much on you, right, senpai?" His smile was melancholic. "Sometimes I... imagine I shouldn't have survived through everything that happened."

I narrowed my eyes dangerously, clenching my fingers around the knife that I had just gotten from one of the drawers. One step and I was in front of him; I placed the bread, the knife, and lastly, the jam jar before him. In the moment his crimson eyes crossed mine, Goro gulped, unsure. 

"What ‘happened', I don't know," I started, my expression becoming more serious. I noticed how he tried to avoid my gaze, but it was useless. "But if there's one thing that I know, it’s that you _should_ have survived. How you survived. And how you survive until today." 

The jar's lid opened with a clack and I placed it again on the counter. Goro switched looks between me, the jar, the knife and the bread - as if he didn't understand what was happening in front of him; as if my every movement had a meaning. I raised an eyebrow, cheeky.

"Know, Goro, that _no one_ in this world deserves a sad ending, as terrible as that person may be." I began putting jam on a slice of bread and spreading it gently. "If a person made a mistake, they should have the chance to be redeemed. If they don't want redemption... that's a shame. One day, things will come back around to them; in that moment, they will think again about their acts, maybe." 

"'What goes around, comes around'?" he laughed, irony dripping from his voice. 

I squinted, folding the slice of bread after spreading jam on it. "I’d rather: 'The world spins and the sucker slips.'" He opened his mouth to retort and in that instant I shoved the piece of bread into his mouth. "Don't wanna know about your comment. Eat." 

Goro made a funny grimace before chewing the slice in his mouth; with a big effort, he managed to swallow it. I waited patiently until he finally said:

"I have to buy new bread.”

"Yes, you do. And take your clothes to the laundry." 

He agreed with a nod, taking another slice of bread to spread jam on it. I noticed how a bit of it was on the corner of his mouth from the first piece he ate. "And also..."

"Huh?"

At the moment he raised his head in my direction, I lifted myself on my toes until I had my lips next to his. Slowly, using the tip of my tongue, I licked the bit of jam that was on his mouth; crimson widened more and more before my eyes. I let my tongue slide to his lips, contouring the bottom one, and then the top.

I took my hand to his cheek, gently caressing his skin with the tips of my fingers, allowing his hair strands to pass through them before they curled behind his ear. I leaned my body in; pressing my mouth more firmly to his. In this instant, Goro closed his eyes and opened his lips. 

I let my tongue slip inside his mouth, placing my other hand on his face, closing my eyes as well to enjoy the feeling - the way his tongue slid across mine, the sound of the knife that he dropped so he could cup his fingers over my nape, twining them through my hair; the soft vibrations of his voice when he moaned from the touch, a way to emphasize the pleasure of contact.

I withdrew from him with a quiet _pop_ , the air mixed by our disconnected breaths. I straightened against the counter, adjusting my clothes and hair; I watched how Goro took his fingers to his lips, his face flushed, eyes unsure and trying to focus on some point, reminiscing over the touch that ended just then. 

Without anything to say, I searched for a kettle to heat water and prepare the sakura-yu. Once everything was placed, I turned on the oven and waited for the water to boil. The silence was still present, but it wasn’t a bother.

"So, Senpai..." Goro's voice was a surprise. I watched him, noticing that he had returned to spreading jam on the bread, head a bit down with a simple, true smile crossing his lips. "Thank you." 

I bit the edge of my lip, holding back the smile that wanted to cross my face at all costs, the happiness in my chest reaching the gleam of my eyes. 

"You're welcome."


End file.
